Posted:11th Jun 2004This is a bit of a shameful admission... (god, it feels like the intro to a Poi Anonymous meet)

I've been playing poi for two years... and I still haven't mastered the hyperloop/chain-twist-then-untwist move.

My big ol' heavy dogchains just ended up spinning at chaotic speeds, usually finishing their demented spin by hitting me in the face...

I've been lurking in homeofpoi forums for a good while now, and someone always mentions the benefit of sock poi... of course, I thought I knew best... cos it's always best to get used to the weight of your firepoi, right?!!

Ahem... no. Yesterday, for the first time (!!!), I made up some sock poi, and... managed a fairly nice hyperloop straight off!!!! Wayhey, joy and delight...

Course, I then spent the rest of the afternoon kicking myself round the garden for not trying it sooner... lol. I reckon with a bit more refining, and now I know the basics, I might even get it with my chains...

Mand's Girl....and The Not So Shy OneLocation: Calgary, Alberta Canada

Total posts: 2723

Posted:12th Jun 2004Sock Poi haven't really made a huge appearance here in the southern part of the states...

Mand gave me her Sock Poi back in February, and I show them to people, and they instantly want to know how to make a pair. One of my friends, who I taught, made a pair of his own, making them a wee bit heavier than my set.

I definitely am a fan...though they are rather hot to use during the summer....make your hands all sweaty and stuff. erg.

Posted:12th Jun 2004Fortunately (or not ), hot, sweatiness is not something to be concerned with here in Belfast It's more like rain, sleet, hailstones, snow and other forms of precipitation intent on spoiling your day

Posted:12th Jun 2004i too have just discovered the joy of sock poi....i offered to teach some kids poi and in my quest to find suitable poi for 6 year olds(!!!?)why oh why did they give me the year ones..........i made some up and t'was a revelation!

Posted:29th Jun 2004sock poi were my first pair of poi i had, coz when i first heard of poi spinning, i didnt know where to get them, coz there isnt a place here where i live. But, the first mistake i made was putting rocks in them . so i instantly ended up with a couple of bumps on my fore head

-=Beware of artists, they mix with all classes os society and are therefore most dangerous=-

Naw... Glass got me hooked on them back in the day and I haven't looked back since. I brought a pair back to the US last year and now everybody in New York's got them. I make sure to credit my London influence whenever possible.

Posted:1st Jul 2004I agree that socks are great to spin and quite good to look at but.. but.. but.. I don't like them... *don't hit me...*

dunno it's just that I'm spinning over a year now and have tried sock poi for the first time only a month ago... I'm so used to my homemade tailed poi that there is no other for me..: o) socks are great but... no thank you...

Hey Vix maybe you should look for some made similar to your mates? I found that the differing materials make for very different poi, also try and tune the weight to something more suitable. I don't know where I'd be without sock poi, probably just doing the three thousand weave variations that, rather boringly, all look the same!

Posted:2nd Jul 2004If you find they're to stretchy you can always make cone poi from material sewn together. Infact there's diagrams on here to do it somewhere if you dig about. Mie are really old ones of Georges, infact they were her first ever stripee socks from when she was about 14...I'm so privilaged!! They don't stretch too much but after time they'll just stretch out and stop springing so much. Lots of weight quickly spun is a good way to age them a bit quicker

I got my socks from TopShop! They're pink! They stretch a lot, but you get used to it - I find it's best to just tie knots in them at the handle end as they stretch, so you end up with a short poi with a big knot at one end and the weight (tennis balls, probably) at the other. That way you have a nice big handle for throws and suchlike. They do stop stretching so much eventually and they turn out really nice...

I'll come back as fire and burn all the liars and leave a blanket of ashes on the ground.I could write the new bridget jones diary only mine would be more bizarre, funnier, dirtier more unbelievabe and bloody true!

Posted:7th Jul 2004I love my sock poi. They're great for spinning in more confined spaces, where tails aren't practical. They're also a lot easier than tails for learning stuff.

I've just finished working at a outdoor adventure centre for kids. We all live on site, so I often end up with kids watching practice spinning and juggling. Loads of them want to try it, so I hand out my sock poi. That way I don't have to worry about getting into trouble for the kids hurting themselves!

Lets steal a spaceship and head for the sun, and shoot the stars with a lemonade ray gun.

I'll come back as fire and burn all the liars and leave a blanket of ashes on the ground.I could write the new bridget jones diary only mine would be more bizarre, funnier, dirtier more unbelievabe and bloody true!

Posted:7th Jul 2004not as pretty as fire by far.......... so pretty yet so dangerous oh i luv it!

I'll come back as fire and burn all the liars and leave a blanket of ashes on the ground.I could write the new bridget jones diary only mine would be more bizarre, funnier, dirtier more unbelievabe and bloody true!

I'll come back as fire and burn all the liars and leave a blanket of ashes on the ground.I could write the new bridget jones diary only mine would be more bizarre, funnier, dirtier more unbelievabe and bloody true!

Posted:6th Mar 2006I've been putting off sock poi for ages as well. I've recently met some poists here who can do some pretty impressive tangly stuff and I'm really interested, its about time I picked up a pair.

Thanks for the input!

missegyptology: "I just remember beingall off balance and unicycling really fast down to campus and the arabic was all blurred on the page"